ES1501B

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Critical Thinking and Expository Writing: From Kodak to Instagram: How Images tell Lies

How do pictures and videos wear the mask of truth? How are they used in newspapers, films, and websites to magnify credibility and persuasiveness? We will look at how images are arrayed with words in news sources to create a truth-effect. Unearthing the norms of objectivity that readers accept, we will ask how particular blogs and feeds become more credible than others. We will examine what happens to the truth-effect when images are digitized and manipulable. Lastly, we will analyze how they form persuasive arguments in documentaries that question the boundary between fact and faction, such as The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.